20260220 Śrī Caitanya-śīksāmṛta 7.7. Conjugal Bhakti-rasa

Seventh Shower — Rasa vicāra (Analysis of the mellows)
Seventh Stream — Conjugal Bhakti-rasa

Svabhāva

In mādhura-rasa, the permanent ecstasy (sthāyībhāva) is madhura-rati. This rati arises from abhiyoga—the expression of one’s bhāva, either personally or through another; from viṣaya—the five sensory contacts: sound (śabda), touch (sparśa), form (rūpa), taste (rasa), and fragrance (gandha); from sambandha—the glories of Kṛṣṇa’s lineage, beauty, qualities, and pastimes; from abhimāna—the firm decision to accept only Kṛṣṇa as one’s object of love, even amidst many attractive alternatives; from tadīya-viśeṣa—Kṛṣṇa’s footprints, the pasturing grounds of Vṛndāvana, and His priya-jana who possess rāga, anurāga, and mahābhāva; from upamā—resemblance to Kṛṣṇa; and from svabhāva—the nature that is self-manifest and does not depend on any other cause. Svabhāva is of two kinds: niṣarga—strong impressions formed by deep habitual practice, and svarūpa—the inherent nature of the soul. Qualities such as beauty (guṇa), form (rūpa), and hearing (śravaṇa) are merely slight causes (īṣat-hetu) for awakening this love.

Niṣarga

Niṣarga refers to the impressions (saṁskāra) formed from a firmly established semblance of rati perfected over many births. The nature (bhāva) that is causeless, beginningless, and self-manifest is called svarūpa. This svarūpa is of three kinds: fixed in Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇa-niṣṭhā), fixed in the beloveds (lalana-niṣṭha), and fixed in both (ubhaya-niṣṭhā). The rati of the damsels of Gokula for Kṛṣṇa is innate—i.e., svarūpa-siddha. The rati of those who have attained perfection through spiritual practice (sādhana-siddha) is niṣarga-siddha. The rati of practitioners (sādhaka) is awakened through causes such as abhiyoga and others. Upon attaining sādhana-siddhi, the manifestation (sphūrti) of the svarūpa fixed in the beloveds (lalanā-niṣṭhā) arises.

Jayapatākā Swami: So we see that in this display of love of Kṛṣṇa there are various aspects. And some are eternally perfected, that is svarūpa siddhi and some have become perfect by sādhana, sādhana-siddhi. So, in various ways one achieves perfection. So, Kṛṣṇa reciprocates with everyone appropriately. Yesterday we heard how there are 360 types of loving relationships with Lord Kṛṣṇa. 120 times three. That is 360. And the three are kaniṣṭha, madhyama and uttama. So Kṛṣṇa reciprocates with His devotees accordingly to their specific level of devotion. Now, people say the material world, I love this! I love my dog, I love my cat! They say different things, I love my country! Why cannot we say, I love Kṛṣṇa?! And gradually that may develop into real rati, real love! So, I mean, try that! That you think I love Kṛṣṇa! Now, that love may not be completely pure yet, but it is a good start! I mean, people they love so many things, but actually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we are supposed to love Kṛṣṇa! Eventually, that becomes the rati of those who have attained perfection through spiritual practice. We see how intricate are the loving relationships of Lord Kṛṣṇa! In Vraja it is very complicated, very intricate. He weaves a web of loving relationships!

Three types of Rati

Rati is of three kinds: sādhāraṇī, samañjasā, and samarthā. The rati of the devīs of Gokula is samarthā. The rati of the queens (mahiṣīs) is samañjasā. In Kubjā, there is sādhāraṇī rati.

Samarthā

Rati, having acquired the name, samarthā, due to her power that surpasses all others. It is endowed with a profound potency that causes complete forgetfulness.

Jayapatākā Swami: Forgetfulness of everything else but Kṛṣṇa!

samañjasā

When rati becomes firmly unified through opposing moods, it attains the name “prema”. Prema gradually manifests its own sweetness and assumes the forms of sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, anurāga, and bhāva. Just as sugarcane undergoes progressive transformation—starting from the seed, then cane juice, molasses, crystallized sugar, refined sugar, and finally white sugar candy—similarly, rati, prema, sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, anurāga, and bhāva are successive elevations of the same substance.

Jayapatākā Swami: I was reading in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta how Lord Caitanya, He is describing how by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, that produces rati or bhāva. And different ecstatic symptoms like hairs standing on end, voice choking up, laughing, crying, being stunned. So that further intensifies to prema! And there are different standards of prema – sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, anurāga, bhāva, mahābhāva. So bhāva also has mahābhava. And that is particularly experienced by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. And also like, Lord Caitanya also experienced that mahābhāva. So did Mādhavendra Purī, he was experiencing that. So, this is a very rare thing! The example is given like just as sugar goes from a seed through various stages, like that love of Kṛṣṇa goes through various stages. So we want all the devotees to experience love of Kṛṣṇa. So Lord Caitanya is giving this out very easily! Kṛṣṇa would give it out very sparingly but He would only give it to someone who was completely surrendered. But Lord Caitanya was not considering who is qualified, who is not, if you want it, He gives it! I was reading in different scriptures how chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is so powerful. In this Age of Kali, just like in other yugas there was some process - in Satya-yuga  it was meditation, in Tretā-yuga it was yajña, in Dvāpara-yuga it was worshiping the lotus feet,  in Kali-yuga it is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, the mahā-mantra! You like that?! So, meditation and other processes, in Kali-yuga, they do not work. You have to chant:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!

In some mantras it says Hare Kṛṣṇa twice, Kṛṣṇa twice and Hare twice. Hare Rāma, same thing. Hare Rāma twice, Rāma twice and Hare twice. That means

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!

I think that, first if we make some videos explaining all these things, that maybe easy for devotees to understand. Then, the videos later can be made into books. I don’t know if any of you are expert at making new videos? With AI, it is more easy. Rādhāramaṇa Sevaka dāsa you tell him, or  see Vaṁśīdhara Viśāla dāsa Prabhu. You know, some people made some videos, I have given some specific outlines. But they did not follow the outline. They did it to some extent, some extent they speculated and went their own way! But suggest to me, don’t do it! If I like your idea, I will change. But we need people to give my outline, to give the video according to my outline. Here Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has explained the different sthāyi-bhāvas – śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa and now he is explaining mādhurya-rasa. We can see that it is very intricate. So, Kṛṣṇa is having these intensive types of loving relationships and the devotees they sometimes are experiencing different levels of love of Kṛṣṇa. And sometimes, I mean to say, they actually enjoy more than Kṛṣṇa! So being a devotee is therefore something really great! You are all very fortunate! But this Kali-yuga there is every distraction to lead us away from Kṛṣṇa! But if one somehow chants Hare Kṛṣṇa, stays fixed in devotional service, then Kṛṣṇa is very pleased! So He gives His mercy to those devotees. So, what is amazing is that although it is a short time, although there are so many difficulties in Kali-yuga, the process is very easy! So Kṛṣṇa is giving us this special facility as Lord Caitanya! Haribol!

That is why we want – someone asked me how do you keep your enthusiasm? Why not?! There is so much to be enthused about!

Sādhāraṇī

In Kubjā, there is sādhāraṇī rati. The term bhāva here refers to mahābhāva. The type of prema that arises in the devotee also arises in Kṛṣṇa in the same manner. In the madhura-rasa, despite the cause for destruction between a young man and a young woman, the bond of feeling that remains indestructible is called prema. Prema is of three types—prauḍha, madhya, and manda—according to its gradations.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in the material world it says that there is distraction between a young man and young woman. When the bond between a young man and woman becomes indestructible, that bond of feeling is called prema. So that is why the prema in the spiritual world or even in this world is very special! It is very rare in the material world. It is common in the spiritual world, but one can achieve prema. But rati is more common, bhāva. Not the mahābhāva, just the first stage. So from bhāva or rati it leads to prema and prema is more condensed as sneha.

So, what do you think? What are the different stages? Sneha, māna, rāga, anurāga, bhāva and mahābhāva.

How many have Bhakti-śāstrī here? How many have Bhakti-vaibhava? How many have Bhakti-vedānta? How many have Bhakti-Sārvabhauma? So, we would like all the devotees to study Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books and get these degrees. Now you are all Vaiṣṇavas and Vaiṣṇavīs. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that we also should become knowledgeable and he wanted the devotees to inherit his name of Bhakti-vedānta! Now the Education Minister has made a summative test. And he said that can be taken at present, the rule is age has to be more than 40 or that you have some responsibilities that restrict you from taking the course. So if you read the books, you can get the degree even within a week! When I took the test there was no summative exam. I was a trail blazer! There was no summative exam for Bhakti-Sārvabhauma. So I took the test and maybe now they will make a summative exam. I read Bhagavad-gītā I don’t know maybe over 20 times, maybe 24 or more. But I was wondering, Śrīla Prabhupāda he wanted to establish varṇāśrama. So by reading the Bhagavad-gītā again and again, I realized that secret. Kṛṣṇa said in the 18^th chapter this is the most confidential knowledge! You probably all understood that right?! He told Arjuna to fight. Some people think that Arjuna was a kṣatriya, so he was fighting. He was a kṣatriya and for sure he was trained inmilitary arts and was the best archer, but normally the ksatriyas are in the mode of passion. They want a kingdom, they die in the battle to go to heaven. But Arjuna, he did not care for that! He threw his Gandiva bow down and wanted to go beginning. But Kṛṣṇa told him the most confidential knowledge, after everything else. Told him, simply fight for Me! Be My devotee, give up all other religions, other duties, just fight for Me! That applies to everyone, whether you are a śūdra, kṣatriya, vaiśya, brāhmaṇa, be a devotee, simply do it for Kṛṣṇa! My realization is that Kṛṣṇa wants us to do KCDV. Kṛṣṇa Conscious daiva-varṇāśrama (KCDV). Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying Navadvīpa parikramā!

Kṛṣṇe matir astu!